Opioid ball rolling down hill More than 430,000 people have died from opioid overdoses since 2000, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control. (Image: Shutterstock)

It wasn't just Purdue Pharma that has been blamed for leading the nation into a spiraling opioid crisis; it had plenty of help, according to the Associated Press.

Drug Enforcement Administration records indicate that most of the 76 billion oxycodone and hydrocodone pills that flooded U.S. pharmacies from 2006 to 2012 were generics, and the annual number increased by more than 50 percent during that period.

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Marlene Satter

Marlene Y. Satter has worked in and written about the financial industry for decades.